Dive In to a Nation Called India - Happy Republic Day - Divergent Insights Team

Dive In to a Nation Called India – Happy Republic Day
                   Divergent Insights Team

Changing Social Realms in India
                                          Having moved from an agriculture produce to manufacturing in the earlier days, since over a decade now India is known

                                          as a significant low-cost service providing nation globally. It’s always a tough task to enlist progress of a nation, from its

Swachh Bharat                             independence to current day, here is an attempt to from our side, on account of 69th Republic Day of India.

                                          Just like Prime Minister Modiji expressed in his recent speech, India is on the path of ‘reform, perform and transform’.

                                          A number of recent developments in India’s socio-political sector; this article is a personal reflection on small and big
                       Clean Yamuna
                                          changes that have happened over the recent years.

                                          In this first majority win of the ruling government, most of which is to set the ground and infrastructure, some of the

Aadhar – Unique Identification            projects gaining momentum are, ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaigns with mobile toilets being built, and the dream project for

                                          ‘Clean Yamuna’. With unique identification for every Indian citizen, soon mid-way in the year, we would be having a

                                          pseudo 16- digit Virtual Aadhaar uniquely generated each time we need to share the existing 12-digit aadhaar number

                                          and also, government’s attempt to bring in electric vehicles for mass usage. Another social upliftment is the ‘Beti Bachao,
                      Save Girl Child,
                     Educate Girl Child   Beti Padao’ (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child) campaign in generating awareness through radio advertisements.

Changing Social Realms in India

This year also saw, Muslim women demanding justice against the ‘triple talaq’, offering

women belonging to below the poverty line households, gas cylinders to free them

from the smoky procedures of burning coal or wood for cooking. Some of these

initiatives have seen success while others bite into dust.

Even Indian filmmakers needing a lift on the ban or unhindered screening of their films

(‘Padmavat’ (2018) and ‘Udta Punjab’ (2016) respectively), justice has been rightfully

(if not timely) served to the citizens.

The establishment of the Constitution has surely helped in empowering the citizens of

this vast and culturally varied country. The India that we know today, has gone

through a lot of changes over the recent years and is steadily shaping out as majority

has been for the better.

A Nearly Digital India

                                                                  Unlike the early 90s, where owning a cellphone was a luxury and a matter of pride, the

                                                                  cellphone is now become a necessity and considered like an extension to your arm without

                                                                  which one cannot do. Gone are those days when a telephone call had to be booked several

                                                                  hours before, now the mobile phone penetration level stands at 65-75% in the country of

                                                                  which 35% is a smartphone (2016).

Availability of low priced range smartphones offered by Indian and global companies coupled with the combination of affordable internet tariff plans

has led to increased users, thereby making India the 3rd largest user of smartphones and internet. Most of the urban population thrives on Internet,

and it has become an indispensable part of our lives and is of much help in shopping, booking, banking or payment. Though urban cities are already

moving to 5G, rural areas are still trying to catch up from the 2G phase.

A Nearly Digital India

Even farmers in the rural area are connected to ‘virtual mandi’, with seed companies

and government authorities that come forward to support their activities, through

mobile apps. The acceptance of mobile till the last level of the population strata which

is expected by 2023, which will boost commerce, flow of products and information to

be seamless throughout the nation.

E-commerce companies have paved their way till tier 3 cities already, and yet

another last mile to cover in the years to come. Though the current government is

rooting for a digitally developed India, it is a goal that will take time to flourish

due to the various barriers that it needs to cross.

Rural Electrification – Electricity Brings Along Prosperity

 Government promised ‘electricity for all’ as one of its key electoral promise and by mid last year had put in efforts,

 to manage reach to approx. 13,523, but all haven’t been 100% electrified, this is due to the lack of proper

 infrastructure. Moreover, many people from these areas are unable to make payments for the cost of

 electrification. In providing free electricity supply to below poverty line (BPL) households, around 50% of the

 promised have been covered which has burdened the system cropping up newer difficulties of inferior work quality

 (i.e. poor power supply).

 The government is therefore, looking into improvising on the scheme and trying to diminish the barriers. Though

 this is a mission that will take considerate time, hope we do end up with a 100% in this endeavor in the years to

 come!

Health and Hygiene – Healthy Nation Makes a Wealthy Nation

If purely looked from the healthcare sector perspective, in spite of not being as technologically advanced as other

developed nations, we still have seen an increasing growth in this sector due to affordable and quality healthcare,

at least in privatized hospitals, making India, a popular destination for medical tourism. In spite of the huge

disparity among the government & privatized hospitals in advanced technology and better healthcare, government

hospitals help support the lower strata of population and has helped in reducing communal diseases.

                                On the brighter side, the governments achievement in making India a WHO (World Health Organization) certified,

                                polio-free country as of 2014, has to be taken into consideration. However, at the same time, rise of non-polio acute

                                flaccid paralysis cases being suffered by many children cannot be ignored. Also, tuberculosis is another disease that

                                is on the radar of the Health Ministry to be completely eradicated by 2025 at least; though it is highly ambitious we

                                hope the Government is able to eradicate these with the same vigor.

‘Swachh Bharat’ – Let’s Make it a Reality

If we look at the most basic initiative being made by the current Government, it is, hygiene and sanitation in rural

and remote areas. Swachh Bharat also includes the program of building of community and individual toilets in the

villages that weren’t present either due to limited awareness or lack of need for a sanitized defecation system.

If you have watched the film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017), the story might give you just a glimpse into the problem

and the need for spreading awareness. Though the government is making efforts in reaching out to most of the

remote areas, there are even citizens who through their own individual and community contributions are helping in

setting up better sanitations in these rural and remote areas.

Environmental studies, a subject existing in the education curriculum for more than a decade, unfortunately lessons learnt, are less close to

implementation in reality. Though 2019, is still too ambitious a year to achieve a completely clean India, if an effort is made by each and every individual to

consciously refrain from littering the streets and polluting rest of the environment, then it won’t remain to be an unattainable goal in the near future.

To conclude this article…

There is an endless list of higher importance topics like demonetization, which removed 86% of the currency out of

circulation in a night leading to both pros and cons for the economy to revive and others. To smaller ones like

‘Happy Street’ drives which allows children and citizens to come on to the roads and enjoy the carnival experience

together on Sunday mornings. Considering the many improvement areas, we still have a long way to go from a

developing country to a developed country.

Over the years it has been seen that it is not only the government but also the citizens coming together in making

their contribution to society in small but meaningful ways. Hopefully, in the coming years the sincere efforts from

both helps us in achieving and maintaining a developed country status because as the proverb goes,

          ‘Where there is a will there is a way, Jai Hind and a Happy Republic Day to all Bharat Waasis!‘